Todi de Sousa exhibits on the feminine timeline

Todi Kong de Sousa (Photos by Renato Marques/MDT)

Custodia “Todi” Kong de Sousa is a Mozambique- born Portuguese artist who has been living in Macau for over 30 years.

She drew extensively in her childhood, during which she developed an appreciation for several different art forms. She discovered sculpture by using epoxy sculpting putty, fabric, fabric hardener and stainless steel mesh to give form to her creative ideas.
“I realized that this form of art, by modeling forms, movements and textures, made it possible for me to convey my emotions and messages in a more expressive manner,” she says.

Her latest exhibition, “Moments” (Momentos), opened last Friday evening at the Rui Cunha Foundation (FRC) Gallery in Praia Grande.

The exhibition shows a collection of 14 art pieces, including two from the artist’s private collection.

As explained to the Times, “Moments” portrays significant stages during the progression of a woman’s life, “since birth until she becomes a mother herself,” Todi explained.
The 11 main pieces of this exhibition tell that story, which Todi says is not “my own story, but a fictional story that can be the one of any woman.”

The collection is the result of a two-year period of work in which the artist created and perfected this “feminine timeline”, guiding viewers through the different emotions of every life stage.

Todi’s work is characterized by attention to detail and a delicate touch. Her finesse is evident in all her pieces, especially the one that the artist describes as having had “the most” impact on her – “The Bride” – which was also chosen as the main image of the exhibition.

“It’s an important piece and one that I had put a lot of effort into. Besides, when I was younger, in my drawings I always liked to draw brides in their dresses, so it’s a kind of tridimensional materialization of my childhood drawings. It has a special meaning,” she said.

“I decided to include this piece also because [a] wedding is a very important moment and celebration in Macau. [It] may be the most important of them all, so an art piece that marks that special moment makes perfect sense.”

When asked about the common characteristics of her work, the artist said she “creates ‘faceless’ sculptures or figures with a particular and characteristic facial expression” that she always sees in her imagination. She sculpts this expression onto her works as a kind of signature.

The main characteristic of these faces is often the Asian eyes, although her sculptures sometimes bear other features that are more evocative of European or African populations.

“The Bride” is now on display and for sale at the FRC. Speaking with the Times, the artist said she was “very happy with the response from the public” and indicated that there are “several pieces that have been already reserved or sold.”

The exhibition will be on display until February 3.